Casting the Actors

And how my experience in theatre and film didn’t prepare me for this…

Once we knew what the story was going to be, and who the main characters were, it was my job to find the right actors. Correction, the right voice actors. Let’s revisit who the three characters are:

Ostro Keen is our hero. Our big shot. He is terribly narcissistic and naive. Not highly educated, Ostro speaks in many messy metaphors, makes many assumptions, and probably would steal a line from his favourite movie hero then and again. Ostro is strong, tall, and quite handsome (and he knows it). He has one friend, his trusty robot pal, BIV.

Evelyn is our leading lady, who happens to be Ostro’s mother. She is older (60+), tough as hell, and extremely intelligent. She is petite, but strong. She has small dark eyes, and an aged face. Back in her day, nothing could stop her. She was quick, and ready to take on anything. She once led a gang of intergalactic rebels against the dictatorship controlling her planet and neighbouring planets.

KRONIN is an evil sentient computer, who is trying to control the galaxy. KRONIN is power hungry, and he acts like a spoiled brat. We imagined he would speak in droll, almost like a Southern business “gentleman”. KRONIN is programmed to be manipulative, defensive, and will do whatever is necessary to keep control.

So who do we get to play the characters?

For a project like this one, time was working against us. I needed to find actors without an audition process, and they needed to be actors who I knew would deliver. Which was interesting as I am used to working with auditioning actors for plays and short films. I was used to hands-on coaching and direction. Through this process of casting, I learned that versatility and the ability to try something new was key. Both with the actors and director.

For Ostro, the idea of using a local comedian came to mind. We wanted to work with someone whose work we knew, who can improvise on the spot, and who will have fun with the character. Edmonton comedian, Craig Martel, was the perfect fit. He’s clever, quick, and doesn’t take himself too seriously. Which is important when being directed! The actor should be able to take criticism well, and not be afraid to incorporate feedback that may seem unusual or “weird” to them. Craig was a blast to work with! He added so much to Ostro, that we didn’t originally imagine. Plus, it was our first time working with him, which was great.

For Evelyn, range and experience was key. We needed someone who could sound older and could interpret the character in a number of different ways. I had always wanted to work with Morgan Smith, so I thought this was a great opportunity to see if she was interested. Morgan is a local actor and playwright, with a spot on 630 Ched. (Which is a bonus, because she is accustomed to working with recording equipment in a studio). Morgan was so dynamic! She was very professional, and used her time in the studio very well.

KRONIN was going to be an interesting role to cast. Previously, I had worked with a new actor for a play as a part of the 2014 Edmonton International Fringe Festival. Myro Shewchuk was given the role of Sylvan in our play, “Tin”. Sylvan was psychotic, to say the least. He was a bit of a circus performer, in that everything was a show. This was a very challenging character to play, and Myro did an amazing job! This is what led us to cast him for the role of KRONIN. We wanted the same outlandish performance, with a bit of a new spin. Myro did a killer job. He somehow made KRONIN appear vulnerable…which I didn’t think could happen.

It is a common misconception that everyone is desperate to work on your project. We tend to assume people keep themselves available indefinitely for the next cool / fun thing. We were so fortunate to have all three actors agree to be involved with The Exhibition! And we definitely look forward to working with them again in the future…